Those Who Desire Paradise - Bilal Assad

Those Who Desire Paradise

Lecture by Bilal Assad

Opening

السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

(بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ - bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim)

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ، وَأُصَلِّي وَأُسَلِّمُ وَأُبَارِكْ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا وَحَبِيبِنَا وَقَائِدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَمَنْ تَبِعَ هُدَاهُ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ. مَنْ يَتَّبِعْ هُدَاهُ لَنْ يَضِلَّ، وَمَنْ يَضْلِلْ فَلَنْ يَهْدِيَهُ اللهُ. وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

Quranic Recitation

Surah An-Naba (78:31-40)

"Verily, for those who fear Allah there is a place of success - gardens and vineyards, and young maidens of equal age, and a full cup. They will not hear therein any idle talk or any lie - as a reward from your Lord, a gift, a reckoning. The Lord of the heavens and the earth and that which is between them, the Most Merciful. They will have no power to speak to Him. On the Day when the Spirit and the angels will stand in rows, they will not speak except to him whom the Most Merciful has permitted, and he will speak the truth. That is the True Day, so whoever wills, he will take to his Lord a return. Verily, We have warned you of a near punishment. On the Day when man will see what his hands have sent forth, and the disbelievers will say: 'I wish I were dust!'"

(Reference: Surah An-Naba 78:31-40)

Introduction

Brothers and sisters in Islam, peace and blessings of Allah be upon you. It gives me great joy and honor to stand here before you to share something with you about the hereafter, about a place which if it wasn't for that place that Allah had promised us, I don't think any of us would be working in Islam for anything, or maybe none of us would have hope but only live with fear, fear from hellfire.

Allah created Jannah, and a Muslim lives a life not only in fear, but a life between hope and fear. We live in hope, hoping that Allah will forgive us and give us mercy and we enter that everlasting dwelling in Jannah, Paradise. And we fear Allah from doing sins, because we remember hellfire and we ask Allah to save us from hellfire. And so a Muslim lives a life of hope )رَجَاء( and fear )خَوْف( of hellfire.

What Do You Desire?

Brothers and sisters, I have a question for you: What do you wish for? What do you desire? What do you anticipate to reach? What is it that you yearn for? What is it that you long for?

Ask yourself that question. What is your ambition? Do you wish for a beautiful wife or a gorgeous husband who has popularity, who everyone looks up to, so that you can show off with him or her? Do you desire a beautiful mansion and lots of money? Is that what you desire? Or do you anticipate to reach a firm lifelong career? Do you anticipate that?

Do you yearn for luxurious dwelling, a land, or probably one day to buy an island of your own? Do you long for fame and popularity and fortune? What do you yearn for? What do you desire?

أَيُّهَا الْمُؤْمِنُ، مَاذَا تَشْتَاقُ؟

"O believer, what do you desire?"

Do you miss having all of that? If this is what you are desiring and anticipating for and yearning for, then my dear brother or sister, you have been deceived. You have been deceived by this world, all of its fortune, all of its beauty.

Because this beauty which you see in front of you, as Allah describes it in the Quran, is like a flower that grows in the ground. It gets watered from the rain and then it blossoms. It has a nice fragrance and it looks beautiful, but then it only lasts for about a month or less, and then suddenly it starts to wither away and you have no more attention towards it, as if it never had existed before, and becomes soil and dirt.

The Nature of Worldly Life

Allah says in the Quran:

"Know that this worldly life is only play and amusement, and adornment, and boasting among you, and rivalry in wealth and children - like the example of a rain whose resulting plant growth pleases the tillers; then it dries and you see it turned yellow; then it becomes debris." (Reference: Surah Al-Hadid 57:20)

Allah says: اعْلَمُوا - Know understand, acknowledge, learn this. Understand this, always be conscious about this.

Know that this worldly life )الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا( is only playing )لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ( - who can get the best house, who can get the fastest cars, who can look the most beautiful, who can have more money. وَتَفَاخُرٌ بَيْنَكُمْ - and boasting among you.

Allah says this is what the worldly life is about. Don't the disbelievers do that, trying to rise to high levels and positions in work? Yes, they do. And everyone tries to beat everyone else in becoming or reaching that high seat. Yes, it is a life of challenge, challenging each other.

وَتَكَاثُرٌ فِي الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَوْلَادِ - and people love in this life to have lots of money, lots of children, in order to have a strong back.

كَمَثَلِ غَيْثِ - like that flower which I gave an example to. This world is like that. It blossoms for a little bit.

Brothers and sisters, if this is what you are yearning for, longing for, missing, being anxious about, I'm sad to say brothers and sisters that you are in a very great loss. Because when you die - and we all shall die - you're just going to have to leave it all behind you, subhanallah. All of that we're going to leave it behind us. Yes, it's not going to be buried with you.

The only thing that you'll be taking is two things: your family and your actions to the graveyard. But your family will go back and your actions will stay with you. And then it will be an ugly being if your actions are bad to keep you in that bad company until the Day of Judgment, or it will be a most handsome person to sit with you and keep you company until the Day of Judgment.

So what do you yearn for and desire?

The Sabiqoon - Those Who Race Ahead

When we read about the companions of the past, we find that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives us an example about how they lived and what they yearned for and anticipated and desired. I have chosen a topic called الْمُشْتَاقُونَ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ - "Those Who Desire Paradise" - not those who desire this world.

And I give you examples of the companions of the Prophet in a short while and people who lived before us, because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in the Quran:

"A large number from the people before us, and only a small amount from the later generations. Those are the ones brought near, in gardens of pleasure." (Reference: Surah Al-Waqi'ah 56:13-15)

Who are they? Those who have passed us. Allah says أُولَئِكَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ - they are the ones closer to Allah. Where? فِي جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ - in high places in Jannah, blessed.

ثُلَّةٌ مِّنَ الْأَوَّلِينَ - a large amount from the people before us. وَقَلِيلٌ مِّنَ الْآخِرِينَ - and only a small amount of them still exist in the after time, meaning in our time.

Who are they, brothers and sisters? From the time of Muhammad ﷺ, his companions and the ones after them, they are the السَّابِقُونَ - they have beaten us in two things. They are the سابقون meaning they are before us, and they are the سابقون meaning they have beaten us to paradise. And there is a small amount from this life. Allah says there is only a minority that are still striving and working and desiring paradise and have left this world - only a small amount.

Allah says:

السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ

"The foremost, the foremost!" (Reference: Surah Al-Waqi'ah 56:10)

Allah is praising the ones who race each other. سِبَاقٍ means race. Allah is praising the people who race each other for goodness, not racing each other for worldly things. No.

السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ - and those who can beat other people in what? In good deeds. To beat each other to paradise, to beat each other to high places in paradise.

A normal Muslim does not want just the first place in paradise. A mu'min wants to beat everyone and go to the الْفِرْدَوْسِ الْأَعْلَى - the highest paradise. This is what the Prophet said:

تَمَنَّوْا وَاسْأَلُوا الْفِرْدَوْسَ الْأَعْلَى

"When you ask Allah for Jannah, ask Him for the highest place which is called Al-Firdaws."

Because these are the qualities of the believers. The believers always race each other for goodness.

Story of Two Companions Who Raced for Paradise

There existed two people which the Prophet ﷺ told us about in the time of the Prophet, and they used to challenge each other in everything they did. They loved each other for the sake of Allah and they tried to pray and beat each other in prayer. So they would pray night prayers and they would fast more days.

When this friend heard about his brother that he would fast two days, his brother would fast three days. When he heard about him that he was fasting every Mondays and Thursdays, the other brother would fast day on, day off. When he donated from his wealth this much, the other brother would beat him and donate that much.

One day they went out to jihad, which is fighting a battle against people who were attacking the Muslims, attacking the oppressed ones, driving people out of their homes. So they thought this is a great chance to reach the highest places in Paradise, because Allah loves those who defend the weak.

Hope and Fear in Worship

And some people think that if you worship Allah, you should not work desiring paradise. You should only work because you desire Allah only. But this is wrong and this is not the Aqidah of a Muslim, because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in the Quran:

"They worship Allah in fear and in hope."

رَهَبًا وَرَغَبًا - and also greedy for Jannah.

The Companions' Love for Each Other

Because in the time of the Prophet ﷺ, if their companion was in need, he would find that one of them, subhanallah, the one typical companion would always put his brother in his place. Allah says in the Quran:

"And they prefer others over themselves, even though they themselves are in need."

And they would deny themselves things when they themselves needed it, in order to provide for their brothers in Islam.

Yes, if they were attacked by some people, they would go out and they would beat each other to the battlefield to defend the women and the children. Not only that, the companions would race each other, and you would find in those days - read the seerah - a companion would grab his brother from behind in his shirt and he would pull him into the back, throwing him behind him. Why?

Story of Mashitah - The Hairdresser of Pharaoh's Daughter

There was a woman called Mashitah Fir'awn. She was a woman who was the hairdresser of Pharaoh's daughter - Pharaoh who said:

"I did not know any god but me."

And Mashitah Fir'awn, this hairdresser, she had embraced Islam in secret. And when she was combing the hair of the daughter of Pharaoh, the king, the one who said he is a god, the comb fell to the ground. And then she automatically, subconsciously, picked up the comb and said (بِسْمِ اللَّهِ - bismillah) - in the name of Allah.

And this Mashitah Fir'awn, this hairdresser, had 5 children, and one of them was still breastfeeding. And then the daughter of Fir'awn said, "Allah? My father?"

Are you saying "Allah, my father?"

And she said, "No, Allah, the Lord of your father and yourself and me."

And she became angry. She went to her father and said to him, "Father, this woman worships another god beside you."

He said, "What? She knows another god beside me? Who is there? Call her to me."

And they called her to him. And then she came and stood - a woman, a woman, brothers and sisters - in front of this great Pharaoh. And he said to her, "Who is your god?"

And she said, "Allah is my Lord."

He said, "Who is Allah?"

She said, "اللهُ رَبِّي وَرَبُّكَ - Allah is my God and yours.

Yes, when she was cornered and put in the place when she had to answer, she answered. She answered. This is how the state of the mu'mins in the past and present are. When they said "رَبِّيَ اللهُ" - "Allah is my Lord" - they

were tortured. But we don't care, because we know what we are heading towards. We know who our Lord is and we say what we believe. We are not liars.

" اللهُ رَبِّي وَرَبُّكَ" ,She said

And then he said, "What? Bring the chains!"

They brought the chains. They began to punish her and whip her. "Who is your Lord?"

And she would say, "اللهُ رَبِّي وَرَبُّكَ"

And so he ordered for them to bring a large container, and then he spilled hot boiling oil into this container, a large container like a swimming pool. And then he said, "Bring me all of her children."

And they brought them one by one. He said, "Worship me! I am your god!"

She said, "Never!"

So he brought her first son and he threw him into the oil in front of her eyes. His meat and his flesh fell off his body and then his bones disintegrated. Then they brought her next son, and she was firm - Allahu Akbar - and they burnt him. She could not stop him. And then her third, and then her fourth.

Then finally her fifth. He was on her arm and she was about to pull back. She was about to pull back in front of the eyes of all the people, when all of a sudden - and this is the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ - he said, when all of a sudden, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala from above seven skies made her child or infant speak while he was in the cradle, and he said:

"Be patient, my mother! Be patient, my mother! You are on the truth. Indeed Allah has promised you Jannah."

Keep going, mother. And then they threw her son into the boiling oil. And then she was next. She knew that she was going to die, and then she began to cry. And Pharaoh said, "Why are you crying? Stop!"

And she said, "I want to ask you to do something for me. I don't know if you will do it."

He said, "Ask me for whatever you like."

She said, "Once you throw me into the oil, then I want you to gather whatever is remaining of our bodies and I want you to bury us together in the same grave, because I want to be resurrected with my children and I want to go to Jannah with my children. I don't want them to go out of my arms."

And she knew what this life was and what the hereafter was. And so they threw her into the oil and she ended up in Jannah.

The Man from Surah Ya-Sin

Just like that man, that Prophet who Allah does not mention his name in the Quran in Surah Ya-Sin:

"And there came from the far end of the Medina a man running towards them."

يَسْعَى meaning running towards them.

"He said: 'O my people, follow the messengers.' "

"Follow those who ask you for no wealth, they are not asking you for any wealth or any exchange, and they are the ones who are rightly guided."

What did they do to him? They brought him, as in the hadith, and then they put a hole into the ground and they dug him into the ground, and then chopped his head off. In another hadith, they threw him down the well and they killed him.

And then Allah resurrected him and put him straight into Jannah. And Allah says in the Quran, and then he replied by calling out:

"He called out and said: 'Oh, woe, if only my people had known how Allah has forgiven me and what kind of honor Allah has put me in - everlasting luxury, everlasting freedom, everlasting bliss! If only my people knew where I have ended up!'"

"There isn't a messenger that comes to them warning them and promising them except that they would mock him."

And this is our state today.

The Wife of Pharaoh

What about امْرَأَةُ فِرْعَوْنَ - Pharaoh's wife? She also embraced Islam in secret, and when Pharaoh found out, he brought her, as in the Quran and the hadith. It says he brought her and then he stripped her naked and he hung

her to the ceiling from her breasts and he began to torture her. He tortured her and tortured her and she began to cry.

And Allah says in the Quran:

"And Allah has set forth an example for those who believe - the wife of Pharaoh, when she said: 'My Lord, build for me with You a house in Paradise and save me from Pharaoh and his deeds and save me from the wrongdoing people.'"

While she was being tortured, "Oh Allah, build for me a palace in Jannah and save me from Pharaoh and save me from the people who are oppressors."

The hadith says while she was being tortured, Allah showed her a palace inside of Jannah and she began to laugh. And Pharaoh began to torture her even more, saying, "What is making her laugh? Torture her more! Isn't she feeling this?"

And she died laughing. Little did he know that Allah was showing her a place, a palace in Jannah, which made her forget the pain. It was too overwhelming and she died seeing her palace and she died going into Jannah.

السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ - those who beat us.

The Value of This World

My dear brothers and sisters, what were they like? They sacrificed their wealth. My dear brothers, they sacrificed their wealth for Jannah. How can you buy this world with your money and sell the hereafter for a few pennies or a few dollars which you can earn in this life?

Why? How could you buy this worthless life when the Prophet said:

"This whole world is not worth the wing of a mosquito to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. The wing of a mosquito! Allah would have never let the one who rejects Him drink a drop of its water if it was worth the wing of a mosquito."

And there are a lot of Muslims who place the world on their head like a crown, when the companions used to place the world in their hands and their religion like a crown.

If their crown went out of place, they would put what was in their hands on the ground. So the hereafter was on their head, and when it went out of place, they dropped the dunya and they fixed their religion.

Story of Abu Bakr and Umar

They sacrificed their wealth. There was a time, my dear brothers and sisters, a story of Abu Bakr and Umar. Umar used to always try to beat Abu Bakr because this was their quality - they always were jealous of each other when someone did better good deeds, not jealous of each other when someone had more money or beauty or a voice or whatever. And they would love each other and try to beat each other for that.

So one day the Muslims were in need and they were in great poverty, and the Prophet ﷺ called the Muslims to bring what they have of wealth if they are able to do so.

So Umar said, "Today, wallahi, I'm going to beat Abu Bakr!" So he went to his house and he said, "I'm going to take half of everything that I have in my house." And so even the earrings, he took one earring and left another earring for his wife. His wealth, he split it in half, everything. And he held a large baggage on top of his shoulder and he walked with them.

On his way, he saw Abu Bakr, and he was only carrying a small amount. And he said, "Alhamdulillah, today I have beaten him!"

Yes, this is how they raced each other. When they reached the Prophet ﷺ, the Prophet asked Umar, "What have you left for your family? Have you looked after them?"

He said, "Yes, Ya Rasulallah, I have left half of my wealth."

He said, (بَارَكَ اللَّهُ فِيكَ يَا عُمَرُ - barakAllahu fika ya Umar) - "May Allah bless you, O Umar."

Then he turned to Abu Bakr and he said, "What have you left for your family? Abu Bakr, you have brought a very small amount."

He said, (تَرَكْتُ لَهُمُ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ - taraktu lahumu Allaha wa Rasoolah) - "I left for them Allah and His Messenger. I left for them Allah and His Messenger. They will look after them."

Subhanallah, and that's when Umar said, "I wish that I were a hair on the chest of Abu Bakr."

Story of Mus'ab ibn Umair

What about Mus'ab ibn Umair, who resembled the Prophet ﷺ in his appearance and character? The Prophet ﷺ looked at him and knew that he has a beautiful tongue, so he sent him to Medina. He was the one who went to Medina, and when the Prophet migrated from Mecca to Medina, he found 8,000 people from Medina that were singing. Where did they come from? From Mus'ab ibn Umair.

Before Islam, he was the wealthiest. Before Islam, he was the most handsome. Before Islam, he used to look after himself. He used to put so much cologne and he would look after himself so much that the women of Mecca, when they smelled his perfume, they would stand in a line to wait for him to pass, wanting to attract him. Yes, this was Mus'ab ibn Umair.

When he embraced Islam, he donated everything he had of his wealth in the cause of those who were more in need. And then in the Battle of Uhud, Mus'ab ibn Umair was fighting like a lion, defending the Muslims, defending the Prophet ﷺ.

When a spear attacked him, it struck him, and swords, one by one, until he had over 70 stabbings. And he fell to the ground. And then the Prophet and the companions, after the battle was over, came to bury the Muslims, the mujahideen, the shuhada.

And then when they looked at Mus'ab ibn Umair, they searched through his wealth and they did not find anything with his wealth to cover him. All they could find in his house was a piece of cloth to wrap him up in - the kafan. And when they would cover his head, his feet would show. And when they would cover his feet, his head would show.

And the Prophet ﷺ said:

"Oh Mus'ab ibn Umair, we did not find anything of wealth just to cover your whole body and bury you in. You donated it all for those who were in need. Paradise is where we shall meet - Al-Firdaws Al-A'la."

My dear brothers and sisters, and many, many more of them.

The Sacrifice of the Companions

Brothers and sisters, their love for paradise made them do the most amazing things. They made them honorable and kings and the most wealthiest, even though in money they didn't have much. They were kings even though they did not wear crowns and cloaks made of silk and wool of the most expensive type. They were kings and honorable and happy even though they did not have what normal people anticipate for and think of it to be happiness.

Their sadness disappeared when they knew their lost ones made it to paradise. If someone died from their family, it was enough for them, for their sadness to go away, when they knew that they had ended up in paradise.

Story of Harithah

This is the story of Harithah radiyallahu anhu. Harithah radiyallahu anhu and his mother Umm Harithah. He wanted to go out one time with the Prophet also in one of the battles.

And remember, my brothers and sisters, the Muslims never fought a battle when they started it. They only fought battles after the enemies had taken, driven them out of their lands, and massacred their children and raped their women.

Harithah radiyallahu anhu, between the age of 20 and 25, he came with the Prophet to go out into jihad for the first time. And his mother had prepared him to follow the Prophet.

And then when they went out, my dear brothers and sisters, the Muslimin arrived to a certain place where there was a well. And one of the battles where there was a well, so the Prophet said to one of the sahaba to go and protect that well at night when the Muslims are asleep, so that no one can come to that well and take it over from the enemies.

And then in the middle of the night, when the sahaba was protecting that well, all of a sudden Harithah woke up. He woke up to go to the well to drink because he was extremely thirsty when he was asleep.

And then when he reached the cliff, he was about to go down into the well. The sahaba, he looked up into the cliff and he thought it was one of the enemies coming to take over the well. And so he armed his arrow and targeted it towards him, and then he speared him.

And the arrow struck Harithah radiyallahu anhu right in his chest. And then he fell to the ground. And then the sahaba raced towards him in order to see who it was. And then, to his sadness and sorrow and to his shock, he found that it was Harithah radiyallahu anhu.

A Muslim had mistakenly killed another Muslim. And as Harithah was dying, he said (لا إِلَهَ إِلَّا الله - la ilaha illa Allah) and his soul escaped from his body.

The Muslims found out the story and they went and they had their battle, and then they returned back to the Muslimin. And then Umm Harithah came along, his mother, searching for her son.

When she saw all the soldiers returning back, she would look at that person and look at this person to see if it was Harithah. But every time she went from one companion to another, it was someone else.

And then she grabbed one of the companions and she said to him, "My son, my son, where is my son? Is he a shaheed? Is he a martyr? Was he killed in the cause of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala?"

And then the companions would say, "Your son Harithah? No, he wasn't in the battle. He wasn't in the front lines. No, he wasn't killed shaheed. I don't think he is a shaheed."

And she began to cry and scream and she said, "Show me where the Prophet is."

And when she found him, she came to the Prophet and she said to him, "Ya Rasul Allah, tell me, my son Harithah, is he in Jannah or is he not? Wallahi, if you tell me that he is not in Jannah, you will see what I'm going to do! I'm going to turn this world upside down!"

This is what a mother feels. Yes, a mother who understands Jannah and Paradise. She wants her son to reach the highest place, but of course in a worthy cause.

"Ya Rasul Allah, tell me! And if he is not in Paradise, you will see what I will do!"

Then the Prophet looked at her and he yelled and he said:

"Are you crazy, O Umm Harithah? Have you lost your mind? Harithah died a martyr in Islam and he is not only in Jannah - it is many Jannahs, it is many paradises - and he has targeted the highest place in Al-Firdaws Al- A'la!"

Because he died with a sincere and proper intention.

Yes, my dear brothers and sisters, they sacrificed their lusts and their temptations also in love for paradise.

Story of Tha'labah

This is another story of a companion of the Prophet, a young boy at the age of about 16 or 17. His name is Tha'labah radiya Allahu anhu.

Tha'labah radiya Allahu anhu was one of the active youth in the time of the Prophet who obeyed the Messenger. And his heart was firm in the belief of the Quran and he was completely convinced in the existence of Allah, and he anticipated and sacrificed everything to reach Jannah.

The Prophet once sent Tha'labah on an errand, meaning he sent him to do something. And then Tha'labah went. It only would have taken him half a day to complete this errand.

When on his way, Tha'labah was on his way back to the Prophet, when he reached close to Medina. And he was passing by a small village which was built of small tents. And then he heard one of the tents as though there was water being spilt inside, like a shower, as though there was someone bathing in it.

Tha'labah did not have the right to open that tent and to look who was inside of there. However, his lust, his hormones played up a bit at that time, and the Shaytan deluded him into opening a tiny crack in that tent. And he looked inside and accidentally, to his shock, saw a naked woman bathing.

Now he saw a naked woman bathing. As his temptations and lust and hormones began to rise, he remembered Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And then he closed the tent and he screamed so high, he yelled so loud, that he said:

"What have I done? (إِلَّا إلهَ إِلَّا الله - illa ilaha illa Allah) Allah is now going to send a verse down to the Prophet ﷺ saying that I am one of the hypocrites! Because at that time the Quran was being sent down. He said, 'Allah is now going to mention me as one of the hypocrites! How can I worship Allah and then go and look to see a naked woman in her tent? How can I say that I am a mu'min? Allah is surely going to say that I am one of the hypocrites! Yes, He will!'''

And he forgot all about returning back to the Prophet. He was too scared. He did not want to hear anything, because almost certain that there was a verse sent down in the name of Tha'labah - "He is a munafiq."

So instead of going to the Prophet, he ran away and he headed towards the cliffs and he stayed up there. When he didn't return to the Prophet, the Prophet began to become worried and he said, "Where is Tha'labah? I hope nothing has happened to him."

The next day they came and Tha'labah hadn't returned. So he sent his companions outside to look for him. And when they went and they tried and they returned, they said, "Ya Rasulullah, we don't know where he is."

And they kept the search going for about a week until finally the Prophet ﷺ sent Abu Bakr and Umar for a special task to look for him and find him. He said, "Go, look out into the outskirts of Medina, into the cliffs and the hills, into the forests and in the trees. Search every tent, ask anyone that you see, and search for Tha'labah. I'm very worried about Tha'labah."

And so they went out and it took them weeks to search for him until finally they approached this village where they found a shepherd with his goats. And they approached him and said, "Have you seen a young man? His descriptions are so and so. He is of this height and his name is Tha'labah."

He said, "Are you asking about the crying boy?"

They said, "What crying boy?"

He said, "The boy that weeps a lot. There is a young boy that sits up in those cliffs over there. Our village hears him every night crying and we don't know what his matter is. Every day he comes down and he drinks a bit of milk from my goats and then he would drag himself back up into the mountains."

And they said, "This is surely Tha'labah."

So Abu Bakr and Umar went up to the mountain and they searched for him until they found him sheltered away underneath leaves. His clothes were torn apart, he was withered away, he was so skinny. There was a disease in his skin and he was extremely sick. They thought that he was dying.

So then they grabbed him. And as soon as Tha'labah saw them, as though terror had happened to him, as if the angel of death came to him, he tried to struggle and run away. But they chased him and caught him.

And then they grabbed him and he said, "Please don't take me to the Prophet! Don't take me to him! I'm too scared!"

They said, "What is wrong with you? Take hold of yourself, ya Tha'labah!"

He said, "Please don't take me to him! I know what you are! I know why you are taking me to him! Allah has sent a verse down concerning me, hasn't He? He sent a verse down concerning me, hasn't He?"

He said, "Ya Tha'labah, we don't know why the Prophet is asking for you. Please come with us."

He said, "Yes, I know why!"

They said, "Wallahi, we have to take you to him. It is a commandment from the Prophet."

And so they dragged him on his feet towards the Prophet, and they placed him in his house and they told him "Tha'labah is at his home."

So the Prophet came to him and he kneeled down and kissed him on his forehead and he said to him, "Ya Tha'labah, what is wrong?"

And he said, "Ya Rasulullah, are you hiding it from me?"

He said, "What am I hiding?"

He said, "Allah has sent down the verse concerning me that I am one of the hypocrites, hasn't He?"

The Prophet looked at him and he was crying, and the Prophet said to him, "No, ya Tha'labah, Allah has not sent anything in your cause."

And then he said, "I am going to be punished, Ya Rasulullah!"

And then the Prophet said to him, "Ya Tha'labah, what are you fearing?"

And he said, "I fear that Allah is going to place me into the lowest place of hellfire! I did a great sin, Ya Rasulullah!"

And then the Prophet said to him, "Are you fearing the anger of Allah?"

He said, "Yes."

He said, "A mu'min also has another belief, and that is hope. What do you hope for? What do you wish for? What do you yearn for?"

And he said, "I hope for the mercy of Allah! I hope for the mercy of Allah and His forgiveness!"

And then the Prophet said, "Then ask Allah with that which you are hoping for, and make your assumption about Allah good. And make your assumption about Allah good. You will find it."

And then he made a dua, and the Prophet read on his head and made a dua for him. Then all of a sudden Tha'labah said, "Ya Rasulullah, I feel as though there are thousands of ants crawling on my body."

He said to him, "Can you really feel that?"

And he said, "Yes, Ya Rasulullah, and I'm about to go unconscious."

And then the Prophet said to him, "Ya Tha'labah, it is death. It has now come and struck upon you. You are dying, ya Tha'labah. So say لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ "

And then Tha'labah began to repeat those words. He said, "Say لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ الله ."

And he repeated those words until finally his soul escaped from his body. He was forgiven.

But because, my dear brothers and sisters, he used the hope that he had with Allah and he desired paradise, so Allah forgave him.

Those Who Fed the Poor

Just like those whom Allah mentioned in the Quran when they had three loaves of bread. And then a poor person came and knocked on their door and he said to them (مِسْكِينٌ، مِسْكِينٌ، مِسْكِينٌ - miskeen, miskeen, miskeen) - "I'm a poor man, I'm a poor man, I'm a poor man."

So they brought out their piece of loaf and gave it to him. And then the second day their door knocked and then he said (يَتِيمٌ، يَتِيمٌ، يَتِيمٌ - yateem, yateem, yateem) - "An orphan, an orphan, an orphan."

And so they gave him that second loaf of bread. And then the third man came the second day and knocked on their door and he said (أَسِيرٌ، أَسِيرٌ، أَسِيرٌ - aseer, aseer, aseer) - "A captive, a captive, a captive."

They said, "Here's a loaf of bread."

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in the Quran:

"And they feed their wealth out of love for Allah - a poor person and an orphan and a captive. And they would say to them: 'We are feeding you not wanting thanks or any reward from you. We seek the pleasure of Allah and we fear a day that will come to us on the Day of Judgment.' Allah says: And so Allah saved them from the bad misfortunes of that day and He rewarded them with that which they had to be patient for - Jannah." (Reference: Surah Al-Insan 76:8-12)

Jannah requires patience, my dear brothers, and struggle. Jannah and silk, and paradise and silk, and its shade and its trees are upon them, and its fruits are easy to reach. And they have palaces of gold and they have everything they ever wished for. And they have servants who would come round to them with golden plates and golden cups, giving them grapes and fruit and water and drink.

And Allah gives them water from a fountain which is so beautiful and tasty they have never tasted anything like it before - from a fountain called سَلْسَبِيلَ - Salsabeel.

Jannah - as great and as far as the heavens and the sky and earth.

Story of Abu Qudama and Muhammad

And they also sacrifice their lives. This is my last story, my dear brothers and sisters. This is a story which shocked me, and it is a story that existed in about the 10th century in the Islamic era.

In that time, Muslims were being attacked - sorry, enemies of Islam who were ruthless were attacking the Muslims in a place called Ar-Raqqah in Iraq. And they had invaded the homes and raped the women and stole their children and killed the old men. This is in history, because they said "Our Lord is Allah."

After doing so, there was a man at that time who existed. He was a great scholar and a great leader in battles. His only cause and motive was to defend the Muslims wherever they may be, wherever they were killed or oppressed. His name was Abu Qudama.

This man, Abu Qudama, was once - and he was very courageous - he was once sitting in the masjid when a group of people came up to him and they said to him, "Ya Abu Qudama, we have free time right now. Can you tell us of an amazing story that happened during your time? We want to hear the most unusual and surprising story ever to be heard. Can you entertain us, Ya Abu Qudama, and make us come closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala?"

And then Abu Qudama sat for a while and gathered them. When everyone was silent, like you are right now, he said to them:

"I recall one of the most shocking stories that ever happened until today. I don't know how to explain it. He said, one time I went to that place Ar-Raqqah in Iraq and I stood up in the mosques and I went out to the city where there were young Muslims to recruit soldiers who are ready to defend the borders of Ar-Raqqah, to stand guard over there, and if the enemy attacks, to be strong enough to defend the women and the children."

As Allah says in the Quran:

"What is wrong with you, O believers, that you do not go and fight in the cause of Allah when the weak and feeble people are calling out: 'Oh Allah, send people to save us!'" (Reference: Surah An-Nisa 4:75)

We are responsible for the weak ones, whoever and wherever they may be.

And so he began to recruit people. Only a few gathered with him. And so he began to ask for some wealth and money. After the day had ended, he rented a small apartment, a little place to stay in.

He said, "I went into this place and I stayed there. And then just after Isha, when I was praying my night prayer, I was about to pray my Witr, when all of a sudden in the middle of the night - everything is quiet, you can hear the crickets outside - when my door began to knock."

I said, "Subhanallah, nobody knows me here. I've just arrived yesterday and already my door is knocking. Someone's knocking at my door."

He said, "So I slowly went and opened the door. And in front of me there stood a woman. I could not see her face because she had covered all of her body, everything. And while she was covering her hand, she reached out her hand. And before she opened it, she asked, 'Are you the man who was calling out for recruitment today? Were you the man who was gathering wealth in order to go and guard our borders and protect us?'"

He said, "Yes."

"You were the one who was calling to jihad?"

He said, "Yes, I am the one."

So she said, "Please open your hand."

And he opened his hand and she dropped a piece of cloth which was wrapped up into his hand. And he said, "Take this. It is an amanah, it is a trust."

And she ran off. That's all she said. I wanted to ask her many other questions but she had no reply. So I went inside and I opened that cloth and I found a piece of paper with something written on it and a thick lock of hair.

I read the paper and the paper said:

"Today you were calling out for recruitments to fight with you and protect the weak people. I am a woman and unable to fight, and I don't have enough wealth to give you. So my heart was struck with shock and sorrow when I did not find anything to give you. So I went home and cut a lock of my hair, and that is the one you see in this cloth. The only thing which I can give to the cause of this is my lock of hair. I ask you to please use it as your rein, the rope that would steer the horse, so that maybe Allah will recognize this and know that I was fighting with you in that jihad, even though taking a lock of a hair of a woman and giving it to a man is not allowed in Islam. But her jihad spirit reached that stage - she couldn't stop herself."

She said, "And tomorrow someone will come to you. He is a recruitment. See if he is worthy and that is it."

He said, "Subhanallah, what kind of a woman is this? So I took the lock of hair and I did put it onto my reins. And the next morning I gathered the troops and we went out into the battlefield."

When we reached the battlefield near the borders, we noticed that a group of army, after a day, began to make their way towards us. And so I got the army ready and I told them to stand guard. As we were about to move forward, I heard a voice from a far distance calling out:

"يَا عَمِّي أَبَا قُدَامَةَ يَا عَمِّي أَبَا قُدَامَةَ !" - "Wait for me, my uncle! Wait for me, my uncle!"

He looked back and he found a fierce warrior on his horse galloping fiercely towards him, and he had his face covered like this. As soon as this man approached him, Abu Qudama looked at him and said, "How can I help you?"

He said, "Wait for me! Alhamdulillah who has written for me to meet you and unite with you!"

He said, "Calm down, calm down, and take a bit of breath."

He said, "You don't understand! I made a dua all my life to have this opportunity and I thought that you were going to beat me! Allah decreed that I was going to unite with you! Alhamdulillah!"

He said, "Ask me, what do you want?"

He said, "I want to fight with you! I want to have part in this!"

And then Abu Qudama said to him, "Show me your face. I want to know who you are."

And then he reluctantly took the cloth off his face. And Abu Qudama said, "And I looked at his face and before me was the most beautiful face that I'd ever laid eyes on - the face of a young man about 17 or 18 years of age. His face was like the full moon in its brightness. And I noticed that he was young."

And I said, "Son, what experience do you have? How can you come and fight with us? No, you are not allowed to come and fight with us. You are too young. Return back!"

And he said, "But my mother came to you last night!"

He said, "Your mother?"

He said, "Yes, my mother."

He said, "Who is your mother?"

And he said, "She's the one that gave you a lock of her hair and she told you to look after me."

He said, "Is that your mother?"

He said, "Naam."

He said, "You should go back and look after her, son. Don't come here and fight."

And he started to hold on to him, the young boy, and he said to him, "No, Abu Qudama! No! My father fought in jihad and I want to fight too! I want to defend! Please accept me! I have great experience! I have fought many battles and I'm an experienced horse rider! I'm a really good experienced person! Wallahi, you will find me that I'm able to help you a lot!"

When he insisted on him and he insisted on him, Abu Qudama said to him, "If you are insisting on traveling along with us, then you have to stand in the last line, and your work is to prepare food for the soldiers."

He said, "Fair enough. I'll do that."

So they went out. And the enemy wasn't approaching, but they had news of the enemy approaching. And so the time of lunch came and the soldiers wanted to eat, and he sent out this young man, his name was Muhammad, to go out and prepare the meal.

And then when about one or two hours passed, no food had arrived. Abu Qudama said, "So I went searching for him and thought what had kept him so long. And when I arrived, I found the pot was boiling in front of him and he was asleep beside it."

I said, "Subhanallah, he must be very tired." Because he said during the whole day, all I saw was he was the most active amongst all the men. He would race after this one and race after that one, help this person, help that person. He was very active during the day. I became amazed how agile this young boy is, how enthusiastic this young man is.

And so I thought, I felt sorry for him and I thought maybe he needs some rest. So I did not interfere and I did not disturb him and I began to prepare and finish and complete the meal myself.

But as I was stirring, he said, I heard a small sound coming from him. So I looked immediately at him. And all of a sudden, I see his face begin to smile. He is asleep.

After a few moments, the smile grew. A few moments later, his teeth began to show. And then even a few moments later, he began to laugh in laughter and giggle. As he was laughing, his laughter began to intensify until finally he awoke suddenly.

And he saw me in front of him with open eyes, and his smile immediately faded away, as though he was shocked that I was there in front of him and he did not want me to be there, as though he had a secret.

And then he got up immediately and he said, "I'm sorry, I didn't know that I had gone to sleep. Please, you don't have to prepare the food, please let me."

Abu Qudama said, "No, you sit down. Wallahi, I will not let you do anything until you tell me why were you laughing."

He said, "I was laughing?"

He said, "Yes, you were laughing. Your laughter could reach a few meters away."

He said, "Ammi Abu Qudama, since you saw me laughing and you won't let me go, I will tell you what I was dreaming about. But you have to keep it a secret between you and I, for if I tell you, maybe Allah will not accept my reward of coming here. Maybe it will be insincere."

He said, "Please tell me. I'm listening with open ears. I really want to know."

And then the young boy said:

"I slept and then I noticed as if the last hour had come. The world ended and the Day of Judgment came. Everybody was looking up into the sky. And then all of a sudden, I hear a voice calling out: 'Grab Muhammad and take him to Paradise amongst everyone!'

A light came to me, a light, and took me away. And then there was a man next to me, a very handsome man. His light emanated from his face till it reached the far corners of what I could see. And it took me into Jannah.

And I asked him, 'Who are you?' And he said, 'I am one of your servants which Allah has made for you in Jannah, in your palace.' And he said, 'Where are you taking me?' This is when he began to smile.

He said, 'I am taking you to your wealth and to your family and to your belongings and possessions in your palace in Jannah.' And so his smile grew more.

And then when he reached the great gates and the great doors of his large possession, he said, 'I cannot enter here, for you have women inside and I am not allowed to set eyes upon them.' His smile grew more.

And so he entered. He said, 'And then I found many beautiful women. Their light was so great that I thought if they were to show themselves on earth, they would light the whole earth. And they grabbed my arm and took me away.'

And I thought, 'Are you my wives?' And he said, 'No, no, no, we are just your servants. But you have your princess waiting inside, inside the tent, reclining on her silk sheets, waiting for you.'

And so I entered. And all of a sudden, I see a woman which almost made my soul escape from my body. And I said to her, 'Who are you?' And a smile grew when his teeth began to show.

And she said, 'I am the one whom Allah promised you. I am your wife in Jannah. I am the one whom Allah gift-wrapped for you.'

'And no mu'min knows what Allah has gift-wrapped for them in Jannah, even for the women.' (Reference: Surah As-Sajdah 32:17)

And then he said he came to extend his arm and touch her. And then she grabbed his arm and returned it back gently. And she said to him, 'No, ya Muhammad, not now. I ask Allah to save you from any bad acts. I am not yours yet. And it is because you have saved yourself from haram acts with other women, Allah gave me to you. So keep yourself pure, ya Muhammad.'

وَعْدُنَا عِنْدَ الْفُطُورِ

'Our meeting is tomorrow and we shall break our fast together,' because Muhammad used to fast every day, one day on and one day off.

And then he said, 'When she was speaking to me, I began to laugh. And I really wanted to approach her and she would say, "No, ya Muhammad, not now! No, ya Muhammad, not now!" And I began to laugh and laugh until I woke up.'

'That is my story, ya Ammi Abu Qudama. Please keep it a secret between you and me, otherwise my rewards will be gone.'

She said it is my secret. He said Abu Qudama, 'I kept my eyes watching this young boy.'

The next day, the enemy arrived. It was fierce and we attacked and charged. I looked behind me where Muhammad was supposed to be standing, and all of a sudden he was right in the front. And he did not have any experience in fighting because he could not hold his sword. Muhammad had deceived Abu Qudama in saying to him he has experience.

He said, 'I could not reach him anymore, but he was right in the front line. And he would call out the message of his mother: يَا ابْنِي إِذَا لَقِيتَهُمْ فَلَا تُوَلِّهِمْ دُبُرَكَ - "If you meet them, then do not run away and show them your back!'"

He would call out like that. اللهُ أَكْبَرُ! And he would fight. Whoever would fight him, he would fight. Whoever would hold the sword against him and against the Muslims, he would protect that person and against the Muslims, he would protect that person until finally Abu Qudama said:

'Dust grew so much in my eyes and I lost sight of him. I did not know where he was. Finally Allah gave us victory because we were fighting for a noble cause. And at the end of the victory, we started looking for our martyrs. And then I just wanted to find Muhammad, the young boy.'

I did not care about anyone else. I kept searching and searching when all of a sudden I see at a distance a young boy holding out his arm and saying 'Ammi! Ammi!' And I could barely hear him.

So I ran to him as fast as I could and I grabbed his beautiful head as though he was my son. And I looked at his face - at a face that was once youthful, at a face that was once beautiful, at a face that was so handsome, and a

body that was so young and strong. The horses had trampled him, the wheels had crushed his bones, his face - his face was indescribable.

And he was holding a piece of his shirt which was ripped and he was taking deep breaths, dying. And then Abu Qudama held his face and he began to cry.

He said, 'My son, I told you that the war is very fierce, didn't I? Didn't I tell you that the battle is not what you think? Didn't I tell you that you are still young? I told you, my son! And you had to go forward! Why have you done this to yourself?'

And he looked at him and he said to him, 'Ammi Abu Qudama, this is what my mother raised me for. My father died for this cause as well. Do you want to deny me and you of all people? The Ammi Abu Qudama, you are telling me to go back when Allah says in the Quran, "And what do you fear when fighting in His cause?"'

He said to him, 'Ya Ammi, this is what I want. Wallahi, I could see my palaces in front of me! If only you could see what I could see, Ya Ammi!'

And then he said, 'But I require one thing of you. My mother, when you reach her, she'll be very saddened and she may not believe you that I have died in the cause of Allah. So I want you to take this piece of my shirt and show it to her so that she can relieve her sadness and know that I am in Jannah and that what she has raised, she will also be in Jannah with me. Let her know that: do not be saddened, my mother. I died and you will be with me forever in eternity in Jannah, my mother. I died in the cause of Allah. Now it will be a guarantee that you will be with me and we will be together with my father.'

He said, 'Ya Ammi Abu Qudama, I also have a young sister. Her name is Fatima. She is only 8 years old. She has grown up with me to love me so much. When my father passed away, and I love her extremely. However, my Ammi, her love, I have never seen like that before. She is too attached to me. When you reach her, please try to look after her. Please try to calm her down. Please try to say soothing words to her, for I fear her consequence. She loves me too much. And don't show her my shirt.'

Abu Qudama promised. And then while he was holding him in his arms, young Muhammad began to smile.

And his smile grew, and then it grew even more, and then even more until he began to giggle with laughter.

And he said, 'Ya Ammi Abu Qudama! لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ إِنِّي لَأَجِدُ مَرْضِيَةَ جَنْبِي، جَنْبِي ! The woman that he saw in his dreams, her name was Mardiya - Mardiya, the pleasing one.

He said, 'Ya Ammi Abu Qudama, look at her! She has just come down from the sky and she is lying beside me, holding my hand! She is waiting for me, Ya Ammi! He gave me what He has promised! I am going to Jannah with Mardiya! She will keep me company! Ya Ammi Abu Qudama, our secret between you and I!'

And then he died while he was biting onto his lip like this and saying to Abu Qudama, 'Ya Ammi, remember our secret!'

And he died and went to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, a noble death.

And then Abu Qudama went back to his land, into the village in Raqqa. And all the women went out to meet the Mujahideen. And then came the mother of Muhammad, searching for him.

And then she came up to Abu Qudama and she said to him, 'My son, where is my son?'

Abu Qudama looked at her and said, 'He passed away.'

And he says, 'He fought in the front line without returning back, and he did what you had advised him and what you trained him to do.'

She said, 'I do not believe you! I don't believe you!' Just as her son said.

And then he said, 'But he told me to give you this shirt.'

And she looked at his shirt and she looked at it and examined it. And she knew that it was the blood and the stains of her young son Muhammad. And then she cried and put her arms up to Allah and she said:

الْحَمْدُ اللهِ - the one who has saved my son! I will now definitely be guaranteed that I will be reunited with him and my husband!'

But before that, Abu Qudama saw something - a young girl racing towards every man, fluttering like a butterfly, touching this man and looking at him, then touching another man and looking at him, then turning another man around and examining his face, like a young child does.

And Abu Qudama knew that this was Fatima looking for her brother. And so I went up to Fatima and I grabbed her and I hugged her and kissed her. And I said to her, 'What are you looking for?'

And Fatima said, 'My brother Muhammad! Where's Muhammad? Do you know where Muhammad is? Do you know where Muhammad is, my brother? I love him! I want to see him!'

And he promised me that he will return, because Muhammad said to Abu Qudama, he said to him before he died, 'I promised my sister that I'm going to return, otherwise she would have never left me. But I'm not going to return.'

He promised him that he's going to come back. 'Where is he?'

Abu Qudama started to cry and he said to her, 'Fatima, your brother says السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ to you. And he says that soon you're going to meet him in Jannah, Inshallah.'

She said, 'Jannah? Did he die?'

Abu Qudama said, 'Yes, but he died a noble cause.'